Furniture unit



Aug; 1967 A. v. BANNISTER 3,338,648

I FURNITURE UNIT Filed Nov. 17, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 M ....mnllllllll w 26 56 Aubrey M Bannister IN VIZNTOR.

u 1967 A. V. BANNISTER 3,333,543

FURNITURE UNIT Filed Nov. 17, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 L I5 1%i 11 v In g I 39 1 a v C 43 96 92 8 I l 92 :Q 1 C r //o /06 0 E 9Q! 1Q 82 a 5 7 I06 6 i 0 I08 76 ii E 6 W W; 1 1- 75 J "\1! Ii? 0 I I: i 3:; l 0

E1 U 0 L F W, 4E 70 73 I w ii Aubrey I/ Bann/sfer V 50 INVENTOR.

76 BY I E I, tame):

United States Patent 3,338,648 FURNITURE UNIT Aubrey V. Bannister, 217 Hills of the Valley, Vicksburg, Miss. 39180 Filed Nov. 17, 1965, Ser. No. 508,259 12 Claims. (Cl. 312-195) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The furniture herein disclosed is feasible and practical for use in limited quarters for college student use. To the ends desired and generically construed it is characterized by a kneehole desk, a pair of complemental cabinets or chests (which may or may not be structurally and functionally alike). The upper coplanar horizontal walls of the chests are spaced apart and support a novel bed which in turn is provided with an optional ladder capable of use at either end of said bed.

The present invention relates to portable furniture which is expressly designed and structurally and functionally adapted for feasible and practical use by a student, for example, a college level student, and which is unique in that it is aptly suited for floor-supported use in limited study quarters such as are most frequently found in mobile homes, house-type trailers, aboard a ship, similar conveyance or the like, and also in college dormitories, educational institutions or similar places More specifically the concept has to do with multipurpose furniture which is portable and characterized by effectively united components which go to make up a novel consolidated furniture unit or structure.

Briefly, the invention pertains to furniture which is characterized, broadly construed, by a kneehole desk, a pair of similarly constructed and performing vertically elongated compartmented cabinets or chests which are physically but separably joined to the respective transverse ends of the desk. Each chest is fundamentally or basically a chest of drawers which has a lower halfportion and an upper half-portion which projects above the level of the desk top. The two lower half-portions combine with the desk in providing an adaptation which in and of itself resembles 'a generally well known type of kneehole desk. However, the upper half-portions project above the level of the top of the desk and are spaced from each other and the upper wall ends assist in supporting the component parts of simple bed means. The bed means has its median portion spanning or bridging the upper edge of the space above the desk top thus defining a cubbyhole and providing a consolidated knockdown furniture unit all of the basic facilities (chest of drawers, desk, elevated cot or bed and, if desired, an ascending or descending ladder) desired or needed by the student whose limited floor space problem calls for, as here, a practical and acceptable solution.

In carrying out the preferred embodiment of the invention the desk, end cabinets or compartmented drawerequipped chest and plain and simple bed means are each and all such in form and construction that they can be expeditiously manufactured in a manner to provide the desired knockdown capability and attending compactness and convenience, capable of promoting handling, packing, and shipping requirements and the time and labor saving requirements when erecting the unified structure for use or subsequently dismantling the same for storage or transportation as the situation may develop This invention also features, generically speaking, a pair of end or left and right chests of drawers wherein opposed inward confronting vertical walls are stepped at the juncture of the respective upper and lower half-portions thus defining coplanar ledges which support superimposed end portions of the intervening desk top and wherein both chests have horizontal top walls with parallel opposed bordering strips which constitute auxiliary bed rails and which have abutting and interlocking connection with bed rails provided by lengthwise flanges on a simple channel-shaped tray which is suspended between the extreme upper end portions of the two chests whereby to thus provide an amply long simple bedstead for an ins ertable and removable mattress.

Two forms or embodiments of the invention are revealed and both forms are basically the same insofar as available facilities (desk, cabinet-type chests, bed and ladder) are concerned. However, one embodiment differs from the other in that the desk top comprises a one-piece panel provided on its underside with opposed parallel angle irons which constitute tracks and supporting guides for an insertable and removable desk drawer.

As to the other embodiment of the invention instead of having two substantially duplicate chests of drawers at the left and right or ends of the desk, these chests vary slightly in that one, for example, the one at the right is fashioned into a double door garment closet or cabinet, having an auxiliary drawer chest or cabinet at its top which is elevated above the adjacent end of the mattress to provide a uniquely novel miniature headboard These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view in perspective of a consolidated multipurpose portable furniture structure or unit constructed in accordance with the invention and showing the component parts assembled and ready for use;

FIGURE 2 is a view based on FIGURE 1 wherein the component parts have been exploded so as to appearv separately and to reveal the nature thereof singly and collectively;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged fragmentary detail section taken approximately on the plane of the section line 33 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 4 is a view in perspective similar to FIGURE 1 and showing slight modifications of the component parts, particularly the hinged-lid desk and the sliding door compartment or chest at the right usable for such purposes as may be desired.

Reference will be made first to the embodiment of the invention disclosed in FIGS. 1 to 3, inclusive, particular attention being given to FIGS. 1 and 2 showing the essential components or parts. The vertically elongated cabinet or chest of drawers at the left in FIG. 1 is denoted by the numeral 6 and the corresponding chest of drawers at the right is denoted by the numeral 8. The coacting interposed structural means coopera'ble with the component parts 6 and 8 is denoted at 10 and when in place provides a desk, more particularly a kneehole desk of the type shown. The fourth component part comprises a bed means 12 and its detachable ladder 14 for ascending and descending purposes and which can be detachably hooked on either end of the assembled unit or structure.

The two chests 6 and 8 are substantially alike and it will simplify matters by describing one. Accordingly, the floor supported bottom is denoted at 16 and the vertical walls are so connected together as to provide a compartmented housing or enclosure. The walls on the interior of the enclosure are provided with suitable guides and strips (not shown) and horizontally arranged to provide the slidingly mounted article holding knob-equipped drawers 18. The outwardly disposed vertical elongated wall (at the left, for example, in FIG. 2) comprises a suitable panel 20 which is vertically elongated and bonded, if desired, by an appropriate frame 22. It will be noted that the lower or base part which constitutes the lower half-portion of each chest 6 or 8 is generally rectangular in plan and is of a horizontal section which is more than the upper half-portion. The lower half-portion is denoted conveniently at 24 and the upper half-portion at 26. Attention is directed to the inner wall 28 which is spaced to the right of the inner vertical wall 30. The wall 28 confronts the corresponding wall 29 of the chest 8 while the wall 30 confronts the companion inner wall 31 of the chest unit 8. This particular construction is stressed here to bring out the fact that the median portion, that is the junctional part between the upper and lower half-portions 24 and 26 serves to define a step, more specifically a ledge and the ledge at the left is in a common plane with the ledge at the right, that is as between the two chests 6 and 8. It will also be noted that the upper horizontal wall of each unit, the wall 32 is provided along its front and back marginal edges with horizontal upstanding strips or strip members 34 and 36 which are rigidly attached and which function as auxiliary bedrails. The upper or top walls 32 being in a common plane serve to support the head and foot or end portions of an insertable and removable bed mattress 38. This mattress is a significant part of the aforementioned bed means and the bed means is characterized by an open-ended channel-like tray 40 (FIG. 2) which has a flat bottom 42 and marginal upstanding spaced parallel coplanar flanges 44 which provide the main bedrails. The end portions of these rails are provided with hook-type cleats 46 which are adapted to be fitted into slots or slotted keepers 48 which are provided in the coacting or abutting ends of the aforementioned auxiliary bedrails 3436. Thus, the rails 34 and 36 are on the two end cabinets or chests 6 and 8 and when the tray 40 is put in its intended place the long main rails 44 line up with the companion short rails 34 and 36 and with the tray hooked in place a suitable support structure is provided for the insertable and removable mattress. Endwise displacement of the mattress is prevented because, as will be noted, the upper ends of the end panels 20 extend to a level above the top walls 32. The highly significant kneehole desk is characterized in FIG. 2 by means 50 which comprises a panel or plate 52 Whose marginal end portions rest atop the aforementioned ledges, that is when the two separate but complemental chests 6 and 8 are set up for use as shown in FIG. 1. For satisfactory results here the underneath side of the desk top 52 is provided with spaced parallel coacting angle irons 54 which provide tracks and guides for the insertable and removable desk drawer 56. In practice the angle irons 54 are secured by screws or similar screw-threaded headed fasteners 58 to the aforementioned walls 28 and 29. Manifestly when the desk top is assembled the tracks extend down into the kneehole or space between the walls 28 and 29. The desk top occupies the space between the upper extending halfportions 26 thus providing the unique assemblage shown and described. The upper reduced half-portions of the chests 6 and 8 can be provided with a hinged door 60 providing a compartment, there being, if desired, a drawer 62 therebelow. The ladder 14 is of any suitable construction and the rails are provided at upper ends with suitable hooks 64 making it possible to hook the ladder at either end of the over-all structure. When the bed means 40 is installed the alined coacting rails pave the way for satisfactory use of the insertable and removable mattress and this bed bridging over the space above the desk provides a sort of an alcove or cwbbyhole which can be closed at the back or left open as desired. In practice the mattress is 30 inches by 75 inches, the desk width is 32 inches, the desk length is 46 inches and the over-all length 80 inches and over-all width 32 inches. These however are merely suggested dimensions and obviously the shape, size and materials may be varied depending on the requirements for manufacture, use and extent or ornamentation, if any, that may be required.

The modification shown in FIG. 4 is basically the same and can be described as comprising a kneehole desk 68 interposed between the walls 70, 72 and 74 of the two vertical end components or chests 76 and 78. These chests are somewhat the same, however, the one at the left is a chest of drawers and comprises drawers 80 suitably slidably mounted (not shown), a small drawer 82 and a door 84. The end panel or plank is denoted at 86 and is optionally provided with a frame 88 supporting a ladder 90 by way of hooks 92. The cabinet or chest at the right comprises sliding doors 92 and 94, with frame means at 96 and an auxiliary chest 98 at the top with either drawers or doors 100. One wall 102 provides a headboard for the bed and the bed comprises the already described tray 41 with rails and mattress 39 held in place by the main and auxiliary rails 43 and 45, respectively. The desk here comprises a composite top structure 104, a pair of coplanar spaced shelf-like members 106, a fixed but drawer-like tray or receptacle 108 and suitably fastened lid 110 hinged to the rear wall of the tray, as at 112 (FIG. 4).

It will be evident that the form or modification shown in FIG. 4 is basically the same as is the one already described in greater detail and illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 in particular. The U-shaped frame which forms the desk top is slightly different in that the limbs 106 are supported on the aforementioned ledges. The receiver 108 instead of being in the form of a drawer is simply a stationary tray. Otherwise, the wall 73 which is opposite the wall 70 provides the kneehole space 75 thereabove and the cubbyhole or alcove exists between the top of the desk and the underneath side of the part of the bed which bridges the top of the desk.

It is evident that this novel article of furniture a multipurpose or combination type, will function to serve as the unique bed, desk, clothing and personal equipment storage structure desired and takes up a very small amount of floor space. The component parts can be aptly constructed from either wood, metal or other satisfactory materials as required by the manufacturer and can have any type of finish, stain, paint or decorative surface applied thereto. The central or medium component part constitutes a shelf and desk surrounded by end-located cabinets or chests of drawers. An appropriate foam rubber mattress, cot, pad, so-called bunkie of equivalent sleeping support can be used to provide a suitable bed. A standard size chair can be inserted into the kneehole space of the desk as will be evident. This furniture will serve well all the purposes that may be required by students at home or in an educational institute by a person in the armed forces or wherever else such knockdown consolidated portable multipurpose furniture is capable of satisfactory use.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. For use by a student when confined to limited study quarters such as are most frequently found in mobile homes, house-type trailers, aboard a ship or the like; portable self-contained multipurpose furniture comprising, in combination, a kneehole desk having a horizontal top and provided at one transverse end with a first vertical chest having a lower half-portion adapted to reside atop a floor surface and a complemental integral upper half-portion rising perpendicularly above the level of said desk top and terminating in a flat horizontal top Wall, a second vertical companion chest located at the other end of said desk and likewise having a lower halfportion adapted to reside for support atop said floor and a companion upper integral upper half-portion also rising perpendicularly above the level of said desk top and terminating in a flat horizontal top wall disposed in a plane common with the plane of said first-named top wall, the upper half-portions of said chests having inwardly facing vertical wall portions opposed to and confronting each other in parallel relationship and defining and providing an intervening unobstructed space above the level of the top of said desk, and complemental bed means having a median portion bridging the top part of said space, said bed means provided with a removable mattress having end portions supported atop the respective adjacent top walls of said chests.

2. The article of furniture according to claim 1, and wherein the bed means is commensurate in length with the overall length of the top walls and space conjointly, and a median portion of said bed means comprising a separate component part which not only bridges the top part of said space when in use but is detachably mounted and supported at ends thereof by coordinating portions of the respectively cooperable upper half-portions of said chests.

3. The furniture structure defined in claim 1, and wherein said chests are provided with readily available built-in storage facilities and are separably joined to the respective ends of said desk whereby to provide the desired knockdown capability for expedient economical manufacturing, compactness and convenience for packing, shipping, handling and protectively concealed storage.

4. The article of furniture defined in claim 2, and wherein the median portion of said bed means is characterized by an open-ended rigid tray which is channelshaped in cross-section and accordingly embodies a horizontal mattress seating bottom, and vertical lengthwise upstanding flanges constituting mattress locating and confining rails, said tray being of a length equal to and fitted into said top part of said space.

5. The furniture structure according to claim 4, and wherein each of said top walls is marginally provided with a pair of fixed upstanding horizontal strip members disposed in spaced coplanar parallel relation and constitute rails which are auxiliary, coplanar with and complemental to said first named rails and function to locate and confine end portions of said mattress when said end portions are fitted and lodged in place therebetween.

6. The furniture structure according to claim 5, and wherein the bottom of said tray is flush and level with said top walls, the respective outer ends of said flanges being disposed in end-to-end and abutting relation with coacting inner ends of the respectively cooperating auxiliary rails and being provided with rigid hook-type assembling and retaining cleats releasably connectible with keeper slots provided therefor in the orientated abutting ends of said auxiliary rails.

7. The furniture according to claim 2, and wherein the upper half-portions of said chests are of a horizontal cross-section appreciably less than the significantly larger cross-section of the lower half-portion whereby the portion of each chest at the juncture of the upper and lower half-portions is of stepped form each step providing a horizontal ledge, the top of said desk spanning the kneehole space and having end portions thereof removably seated on the respectively cooperable supporting ledges, said desk top having opposed spaced parallel drawer mounting and sliding tracks hung from an underneath side thereof and separably attached to inward vertical wall portions of the lower half-portions of said chests, and a drawer in a plane beneath said desk top and slid ingly mounted in said tracks, the latter and drawer being fittingly conformable with that part of the kneehole in which they are telescopingly cooperatively mounted.

8. The furniture structure defined in claim 7, and

wherein said chests are provided with readily available built-in storage facilities and are separably joined to the respective ends of said desk whereby to provide the desired knockdown capability for expedient economical manufacturing, compactness and convenience for packing, shipping, handling, and protectively concealed storage.

9. The furniture according to claim 2, and wherein the upper half-portions of said chests are of a horizontal cross-section appreciably less than the significantly larger cross-section of the lower half-portions whereby the por tion of each chest at the juncture of the upper and lower half-portions is of stepped form each step providing a horizontal ledge, the top of said desk spanning the kneehole space and having end portions thereof removably seated on the respectively cooperable supporting ledges, said desk top having a stationary drawer-like article receiver and a hingedly mounted panel aligned with and providing a lid-like cover for said receiver.

10. In combination, a kneehole desk having a hollow horizontal top, the hollow portion of said top opening upwardly and providing a receiver for' miscellaneous articles, said 'top characterized by a U-shaped portion provided with a hingedly mounted openable and closable lid having a flat top working surface, said desk being provided at one transverse end with a first vertical chest having a lower half portion including a bottom adapted to reside atop a floor surface and further including a companion integral upper half portion rising to a plane above the level of said desk top and terminating at an upper portion in a flat horizontal top wall, a second vertical companion chest corresponding to said first-named chest and located at the other transverse end of said desk and likewise having a lower half portion with a bottom adapted to reside for support atop said floor and a companion upper integral half portion also rising perpendicularly above the level of said desk top and terminating in a flat horizontal top Wall disposed in a plane common with the plane of said first-named top wall, the upper half portions of the respective chests being of corresponding cross-section but of a cross-section less than the crosssection of the lower half portions and having inwardly disposed vertically positioned walls opposed to each other and confronting each other in parallel relationship and defining and providing an intervening unobstructed space above the level of .the top of said desk, and complemental bed means having a median portion bridging the top part of said space and having end portions cooperable with and supported by the respectively cooperating fiat horizontal top walls of the aforementioned upper half portions.

11. The article of furniture according to claim 1, said bed means being commensurate in length with the overall length of the top walls as well as the space between said top walls, a median portion of said bed means comprising a separate component part which not only bridges the top part of said space when in use but is detachably mounted and supported at ends thereof by coordinating portions of the respectively cooperable upper half portions of the aforementioned chests, and said chests being provided with readily available built-in storage facilities and being separably joined to tthe respective ends of said desk whereby to provide the desired knockdown capability.

12. The article of furniture defined in and according to claim 10 and wherein the median portion of said bed means embodies a rigid open-ended tray channel-shaped in cross-section and embodying a horizontal mattress seating and supporting bottom and spaced parallel vertical lengthwise upstanding flanges constituting mattress positioning and retaining rails, and wherein each of the aforementioned top walls is also marginally provided with a pair of fixed upstanding horizontal strip members disposed in spaced apart coplanar parallel relationship and constituting auxiliary rails, the latter being coplanar with and complemental to said tray rails and all of said rails thus References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 4/1919 Gydesen 312196 Williams 312196 Strain 312196 Davis 593 Snider 312-195 Lindsey 52 Philips 52 CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Primary Examiner. 

1. FOR USE BY A STUDENT WHEN CONFINED TO LIMITED STUDY QUARTERS SUCH AS ARE MOST FREQUENTLY FOUND IN MOBILE HOMES, HOUSE-TYPE TRAILERS, ABOARD A SHIP OR THE LIKE; PORTABLE SELF-CONTAINED MULTIPURPOSE FURNITURE COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A KNEEHOLE DESK HAVING A HORIZONTAL TOP AND PROVIDED AT ONE TRANSVERSE END WITH A FIRST VERTICAL CHEST HAVING A LOWER HALF-PORTION ADAPTED TO RESIDE ATOP A FLOOR SURFACE AND A COMPLEMENTAL INTEGRAL UPPER HALF-PORTION RISING PERPENDICULARLY ABOVE THE LEVEL OF SAID DESK TOP AND TERMINATING IN A FLAT HORIZONTAL TOP WALL, A SECOND VERTICAL COMPANION CHEST LOCATED AT THE OTHER END OF SAID DESK AND LIKEWISE HAVING A LOWER HALFPORTION ADAPTED TO RESIDE FOR SUPPORT ATOP SAID FLOOR AND A COMPANION UPPER INTEGRAL UPPER HALF-PORTION ALSO RISING PERPENDICULARLY ABOVE THE LEVEL OF SAID DESK TOP AND TERMINATING IN A FLAT HORIZONTAL TOP WALL DISPOSED IN A PLANE COMMON WITH THE PLANE OF SAID FIRST-NAMED TOP WALL, THE UPPER HALF-PORTIONS OF SAID CHESTS HAVING INWARDLY FACING VERTICAL WALL PORTIONS OPPOSED TO AND CONFRONTING EACH OTHER IN PARALLEL RELATIONSHIP AND DEFINING AND PROVIDING AN INTERVENING UNOBSTRUCTED SPACE ABOVE THE LEVEL OF THE TOP OF SAID DESK, AND COMPLEMENTAL BED MEANS HAVING A MEDIAN PORTION BRIDGING THE TOP PART OF SAID SPACE, SAID BED MEANS PROVIDED WITH A REMOVABLE MATTRESS HAVING END PORTIONS SUPPORTED ATOP THE RESPECTIVE ADJACENT TOP WALLS OF SAID CHESTS. 